Following recent abundance measurements of Mg, Al, Ca, Fe, and Ni in the black hole X-ray binary XTE J1118+480 using medium-resolution Keck II ESI spectra of the secondary star, we perform a detailed abundance analysis including the abundances of Si and Ti. These element abundances, which are higher than solar, indicate that the black hole in this

Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a (OAE1a) is now generally recognized to correlate with the lower part of the Leupoldina cabri planktonic foraminifer Zone. Unfortunately, the calibration of this zone against the standard ammonite scale has remained uncertain. Our recent high-resolution geochemical study (Carbon-isotope) of Lower Aptian sequences in the

We present simultaneous high time resolution (1-10 Hz) X-ray and optical observations of the persistent LMXBs Sco X-l and V801 Ara( = 4 U 1636-536). In the case of Sco X-l we find that the Bowen/HeII emission lags the X-ray light-curves with a light travel time of ~11-16 s which is consistent with reprocessing in the donor star. We also present the

In this paper we give a review of the Bowen fluorescence survey, showing that narrow emission lines (mainly N III and C III lines between 4630 and 4660 A˚) appear to be universally present in the Bowen blend of optically bright low mass X-ray binaries. These narrow lines are attributed to reprocessing in the companion star giving the first

We present preliminary results from an observational campaign aimed at the study of the binary fraction and binary radial distribution in Galactic globular clusters. In particular, we concentrate on the ongoing observational campaign for the search of spectroscopic binaries.

We report on early observations of the optical afterglow of GRB 070411 obtained by the Črni Vrh 0.6-m, the ROTSE IIIc 0.45-m, and the Tautenburg 1.34-m Schmidt telescope starting within 1 to 5 minutes after the trigger. The derived light curve presents a rising phase, then a plateau followed by a steep decay and finally a jet break.